U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is detaining individuals—including families with young children—at official ports of entry along the New York-Canada border for extended periods, sometimes up to two weeks, a stark departure from past practices.
Since mid-February, multiple families have been held in cells at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. An Investigative Post reporter confirmed one such case where a family was detained for two weeks.
Jennifer Connor, executive director of Justice for Migrant Families, said she has verified similar detentions at the Rainbow, Lewiston-Queenston, and Peace Bridges. She called the practice “egregious and troubling.”
“It’s extremely troubling, and really a moral failing, in my opinion, of our society, that we are detaining children,” Connor said.
Previously, detentions at the bridges rarely exceeded 48 hours before detainees were either released or transferred to ICE custody.
Reports of Widespread Detentions Under Trump’s Second Term
Connor said these extended detentions began after President Donald Trump’s second term started in January. Reports of similar cases have surfaced in Champlain, New York.
In March, NPR reported that a mother and her children were detained at Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge for five days after mistakenly crossing into Canada and turning back. The mother described the experience as “kidnapping.”
Lack of Transparency & Communication
Despite mounting evidence, CBP has refused to acknowledge these prolonged detentions. When questioned by Investigative Post, a CBP spokesperson declined to answer, citing “agency policy” and “privacy laws.”
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Customs agents have not provided information on why individuals are being detained.
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Family members and attorneys struggle to locate detainees, as their names do not appear in ICE’s online database.
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Connor likened the situation to detainees “disappearing.”
“Especially as I started hearing about this and did not have a way to make contact with people … I felt like people were disappearing,” she said.
Instances of Detentions at Border Crossings
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One family attempting to enter Canada was turned away, only to be detained upon re-entering the U.S.
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An asylum seeker traveling to Buffalo for an immigration court hearing made a wrong turn onto the Peace Bridge, was stopped upon turning around, and was detained before being transferred to ICE custody.
Ron Rienas, CEO of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Peace Bridge Authority, confirmed detentions at the Peace Bridge but said he did not know how many people were being held or for how long.
“There may be instances due to lack of inland space where people are being held longer at the port than they normally would have been,” Rienas said.
Tony Masiello, former Buffalo mayor and current Peace Bridge Authority board member, called the detentions of families with children “disturbing.”
Dr. Myron Glick, CEO of Jericho Road Community Health Center, criticized the lack of transparency and called for immediate clarification of CBP’s policies.
“The U.S. must uphold its legal and moral obligations to protect human rights, not undermine them through punitive and opaque practices,” Glick stated.
He urged authorities to conduct a full and transparent investigation.
CBP insists that detainees are provided legal access, sanitary conditions, and health care, but advocates say it has been difficult to connect detainees with legal counsel.
“There’s an element of randomness, and you could say chaos, in how this is being applied,” Connor said.
As concerns grow, advocates continue to push for answers and accountability regarding this unprecedented shift in detention practices at the northern border.
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